SOURCES close to Mr Michael Lowry have confirmed that he will contest the general election as an Independent Fine Gael candidate in North Tipperary and will make a formal announcement to that effect shortly after St Patrick's Day.
Further defections from the party are now expected in the constituency, with divisions likely to be accentuated by Mr Lowry's intention to stand as a Independent Fine Gael candidate rather than simply as an independent.
Mr Lowry's announcement to seek re election is scheduled to be made before March 20th, when the annual general meeting of the Fine Gael constituency party is due to be held. Sources last night suggested that he would formally clarify his intentions prior to that date in order to deter acrimonious debate at the a.g.m.
His decision to stand follows a weekend of intensive consultations with his family and party colleagues. Sources close to him said that achieving re election would "not be as easy as was suggested", but they remained adamant that Mr Lowry would succeed in holding his Dail seat.
"Many people who have voted Fine Gael for years will find it very hard not to vote for the party. Nobody yet knows what the reaction of the ordinary grassroots Fine Gael supporter will be to his decision," one source said.
Two councillors, Mr Willie Kennedy and Mr Henry Young, have already indicated their intention to support Mr Lowry if he decides to stand. They are expected to be joined by a number of other senior Fine Gael figures in the constituency.
Meanwhile, Mr Lowry's allies in Tipperary North strongly deny that he did a "deal" with the Fine Gael leadership in order to save the party embarrassment in the general election campaign. Their contention was supported by a party source in Dublin, who said that this was not a case of Mr Lowry "being banished to the desert for 40 days and 40 nights". He would be "a long time in the wilderness" before there could be any suggestion of reinstatement to the party.
Mr Lowry's resignation from Fine Gael, as a result of the party leadership's decision not to ratify his nomination, is expected to lead to bitter internal divisions in the constituency and a split in the party's electoral support.
As Fine Gael headquarters now turns its attention to seeking a replacement candidate, Councillor Mai Quinn confirmed that she was reconsidering her earlier decision not to contest the general election for the party.
"I have been surprised at the number of people who approached me, asking me to stand. On that basis, I'm no longer so sure that I will not contest. In spite of the fact that everyone is speaking in conciliatory terms now, I am concerned that there will be huge bitterness in North Tipperary if Michael Lowry chooses to run as a candidate," Ms Quinn staid.